Peace picnic protesters demand public access to Old Head

THERE was a strong garda presence at the Old Head of Kinsale golf course yesterday where, despite inclement weather, the Cork Anti-War Campaign and Workers’ Solidarity hosted a peace picnic protest.

At one stage in the course of the demonstration, which included “Free The Old Head of Kinsale” campaigners, gardaí were forced to remove protestors from blocking the path of vehicles to and from the golf links.

The so-called people’s picnic was said by the organisers to be the first of a number organised at various locations over the coming summer.

A number of anti-war activists, who were recently charged with offences at Shannon Airport, travelled to Kinsale yesterday for the demonstration.

They are in the process of attempting to raise over €5,000 in order to pay their court fines.

The owners of the controversial golf course at the Old Head of Kinsale have warned that they will pursue trespassers through the courts.

Last March, the Supreme Court held that a condition imposed by An Bord Pleanála, granting public access to the Old Head, was in excess of the powers of the board, and thus void.

In March 2001, the High Court quashed conditions imposed by the board on the developer of the golf course, Ashbourne Holdings Ltd of South Mall, Cork. These required the company to provide access to the public during daylight hours to a lighthouse at the southern tip of the headland, and for access to cliff paths and cliff edges for interest groups.

In the High Court, Mr Justice Kearns said such conditions would effectively allow the public to wander over the playing area of the golf course, and were so “manifestly unreasonable” as to render “potentially inoperable” the use of the headland as a golf course.

An Bord Pleanála then appealed the decision to the Supreme Court on points of law. One of these related to the validity in principle of planning conditions laid down by the board, which were directed at ensuring or regulating public access at the Old Head of Kinsale lands.

Mr Justice Hardiman, giving the Supreme Court’s decision to dismiss the appeal, said the condition to provide public access appeared to be an onerous one, especially having regard to the fact that among the areas to which access was required to be given was a cliff-face.

Maintenance by the county council of a right of way above the cliff-face would be regarded as onerous and expensive, and perhaps even impossible to insure.

Old Head owner John O’Connor said prior to the demonstration yesterday that “the protesters have no mandate and no accountability”.

“Their sole purpose in being at the Old Head is to disrupt our business by intimidating, insulting and abusing our guests who come from all over the world,” he said.